This is a topic that comes up frequently in baby classes – how can you help your baby hit that next milestone? Baby development often starts off with all babies picking up key skills at roughly the same time. Smiling, discovering hands, holding toys and finding their toes are mostly pretty predictable. Beyond that it is quite a bit more variable. When it comes to rolling, sitting and even crawling and walking, there is such a range of ‘normal’. For some parents, when they see

Whenever I mention the psoas muscle in classes I tend to find no one has heard of them. Not really surprising, they aren’t muscles we tend to talk about or think about very much. I hadn’t heard of them until I started on my training to teach antenatal classes. Now I know that they play a really important role in your pregnancy and your birth.   The psoas muscles sit in your pelvis, with two muscles on either side. They are deep in your body running from the lower spine throug

This is very much the question that every new parent has. Trying to work out what is normal when it comes to baby sleep can feel really difficult.   Society gives us a lot of different expectations and these often don't match up to what newborn sleep usually looks like. Even the friendly sounding question of ‘Are they a good baby?’ is a loaded one. What they're really asking is how well your baby sleeps, because in simple times a good baby sleeps well. In reality there are no

When I teach the feeding class to my antenatal course I always ask what their plans or hopes are for feeding their baby. The answers are varied but usually include that they would like to breastfeed or they hope or plan to try to breastfeed. Often they aren't confident they will breastfeed because they know people who have had difficult journeys before.   What can you do before your baby arrives to make sure that you can succeed in the feeding journey you want to have?   This

Most of the women I speak to find such a difference between a first and a subsequent pregnancy. Not so much the symptoms and niggles (although they can be very different too!) but the mindset, the juggling and, frankly, remembering you are pregnant.    In your first pregnancy you are usually really focused on the pregnancy. You know how many days and weeks you are, when your next appointment is coming up, what size your baby is this week, and how they are developing.   You ar

When you have your first baby it often takes you by surprise how much your life can be disrupted. You might be fully expecting lots of...

If you are pregnant, particularly nearing the end of your pregnancy, you may have come across the name colostrum. But, what is it and...

Of course the answer will depend a bit on your own personal circumstances but I wanted to write about the options you have for your birth...

I am seeing an increase in parents using apps to monitor their baby’s feeds, sleep, and, sometimes, nappies. But are these helpful or are...

I love teaching my infant feeding session. It is a part of the Antenatal Course and when there is space you can join just for that week....

This age is a really exciting one for you and your baby. There are so many changes and so many new discoveries for you both. It might be...

I have recently had a few conversations where people in class weren’t too sure whether they needed antenatal education. Thankfully they...

When you have a new baby you will find things you read, or people you speak to, warning you about not creating bad habits. Sometimes...

Picture someone giving birth. What do you see? For most people the first thing that comes to mind is someone lying back on a bed probably...

It isn’t one of the common pregnancy ailments you might have heard about before but it is something that comes up in pretty much every...

With a brand new baby there are so many reasons you might be feeling overwhelmed. To begin with you are recovering from birth and...

There is so much going on for your baby when they are around 4 months. It can feel like you are a bit lost again after maybe starting to...

If you haven't already read Part 1, please head over to that one first as this one carries on; after the birth and what happens next....

You might be planning a caesarean birth for many reasons. You might already know that it is the right option to have a planned or...

Those early weeks with your baby can feel like they go by in a bit of a blur. It’s really common to hear women say, around 12 weeks, that...